PLAYGROUND INITIATIVE
September 25, 2008
On Thursday, September 25, California First Lady Maria Shriver will join VONS, community volunteers and partners to build a new play space for hundreds of CampHOPE children in San Diego County during Family Day. Camp HOPE, which serves as a place that offers hope and healing to at-risk, abused and neglected children of the San Diego Community, suffered considerable loss during the Ramona wildfire in 2007.
“Celebrating Family Day and encouraging families to spend time together is an important message for me to share, especially as a mother. I also believe that we are a family in California and it’s important that we come together to give back to our communities and to those who need our help,” said Maria Shriver. “And that’s what we’re doing at Camp HOPE. We are giving the children a greater place to heal and play.”
In celebration of Family Day, today Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger proclaimed September 22-26, 2008 as “Family Week - A week to eat dinner with your children.”
As a Family Day partner and as part of their commitment to support communities affected by the 2007 wildfires, VONS/Safeway has donated $150,000 to build the play space at Camp HOPE.
“As a Family Day sponsor, we are proud to again partner with First Lady Maria Shriver in an effort to bring families together and strengthen the communities where we live and work,” said Larree Renda, Executive Vice President of VONS’ parent company, Safeway Inc., and chair of the Safeway Foundation. “At VONS and Safeway, we recognize that building communities means pulling together in time of need. That is why we immediately offered our financial assistance after the Ramona wildfires and why we’re helping to rebuild this play area for Camp HOPE’s kids.”
“Camp HOPE’s Playground is so much more than a place to play, it is a place that touches the lives of children with laughter and hope,” Mickey Stone, Executive Director of Camp HOPE.
The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University created Family Day - A Day to Eat Dinner with Your Children™ in 2001 after its research consistently found that the more often kids eat dinner with their families the less likely they are to smoke, drink or use drugs. As California’s Family Day Honorary Chair, Shriver is working to encourage families to not only talk about everyday issues at the dinner table, but to also teach children healthy eating habits, create family disaster plans and volunteer and serve as an effort to give back to their community.
Key partners of the playground build include CaliforniaVolunteers and Volunteer San Diego, who recruited 150 volunteers from Camp HOPE supporters, VONS employees and the California National Guard. Logistical support will be provided by KaBOOM!, a national nonprofit organization that envisions a great place to play within walking distance of every child in America. This playground will be the 24th playground Shriver will have built in partnership with CaliforniaVolunteers and KaBOOM! in areas of need in California.
March 19, 2008
In celebration of Cesar Chavez Day 2008, First Lady Maria Shriver and CaliforniaVolunteers have built 10 more community play spaces that will serve thousands of children. Assisted by over 3,000 volunteers, the initial build took place today, March 19, with the remaining nine builds on March 29.
“I am thrilled that together with CaliforniaVolunteers WE are building a safe and inspiring place for children to play while at the same time teaching them the immeasurable lesson of service,” said Maria Shriver. “I can't think of a better way to celebrate the life and legacy of Cesar E. Chavez than to pass on his message of service and selflessness to the children of our communities.”
The Cesar Chavez Day holiday was established in 2000 to honor the life of labor leader Cesar E. Chavez. CaliforniaVolunteers administers the Cesar Chavez Day of Service and Learning program which includes the play ground initiative, as well as the formation of after school service clubs for middle school students and curriculum development to integrate lessons regarding Chavez’s life into school day and after school activities. Key partners include KaBOOM!, Youth Serve California and the Cesar E. Chavez Foundation; both Youth Serve California and the Cesar E. Chavez Foundation have taken a lead role in developing curricula and other learning materials that will be utilized throughout the state.
“The fact that these wonderful new play spaces were designed and built by members of the community will ensure that Cesar Chavez’s life long crusade of community involvement will continue to have a voice for many years to come,” said Karen Baker, secretary of service and volunteering. “CaliforniaVolunteers is honored to lead this statewide community-based effort.”
The ten play space initiative was launched by Maria Shriver at the Los Angeles Neighborhood Land Trust (South Los Angeles) on March 19. The remaining nine builds occurred on March 29 at:
- Lytle Creek Park (San Bernardino)
- Hammond Park (Eureka)
- Alta Mesa Park (Redding)
- Jerome Park (Santa Ana)
- Linscott Charter School (Watsonville)
- Rainbow Recreation Center (Oakland)
- Coachella Housing Coalition (North Shore, Riverside County)
- City of Modesto Parks, Recreation and Neighborhoods Department (Modesto)
- Riverview Elementary School (Lakeside, San Diego County).
In honor of Chavez’s commitment to community building and service, all aspects of the builds will have heavy community involvement. Committees comprised of local children, teachers and parents have organized volunteer recruitment, site preparation and safety/logistics for each of the builds. Planning for the playgrounds began in February, when children from each community met with organizers from KaBOOM! and CaliforniaVolunteers to draw their “dream” play spaces. The children’s drawings were used to create the final play space designs. Children have participated in a series of lessons regarding Chavez’s life that will culminate the day of the build. To make sure that the play space is a lasting monument to Chavez’s teachings, a unique mural will be painted at each site. Community volunteers will also build picnic tables, benches, shade structures and take part in landscaping projects.
March 24, 2007
First Lady Maria Shriver joined hundreds of community member, parents, volunteers and local leaders in building a playground for the Watts Labor Community Action Committee Center as part of an initiative to build 10 safe play spaces across California that honor the life and legacy of Cesar E. Chavez. 10 playgrounds were build at the following sites:
- Watts Labor Community Action Committee (Los Angeles)
- Leonard R. Flynn Elementary School (San Francisco)
- Cordova Meadows Elementary School (Rancho Cordova)
- Del Rey Boys and Girls Club (Del Rey)
- Romain Park - skate park (Fresno)
- Mecca Community Center (Mecca)
- Franklin Elementary School (Redlands)
- La Union del Pueblo Entero (Salinas)
- Mayfair Head Start (San Jose)
- MAAC Project (San Diego)
The first of many playgrounds Maria Shriver had built in parternship with CalfiorniaVolunteers began with the playground builds at Ocean Charter and Gabriella Axelrad Charter School in Los Angeles. On September 26th, more than 700 volunteers from the Los Angeles area will donate their time to build two playgrounds, paint murals, create edible gardens, prepare backpacks for needy children and much more.
To learn more about service opportunities like the playground build in your community, visit www.CaliforniaVolunteers.org
